Raiders, 49ers pick offensive linemen in first round.
Before the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night, the 49ers had two capable starting offensive tackles.
Now they have three.
In a mild surprise, the 49ers used the No. 9 pick on Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey, a three-year starter and two-time captain who finished his decorated career by making 39 straight starts and earning firstteam All-America honors in 2017.
The selection stunned McGlinchey, who played both tackle positions in college. Until speaking with the 49ers on Thursday, he hadn’t had contact with the team since a formal interview at the NFL combine two months earlier.
“I had no idea,” McGlinchey said.
“It’s definitely a shock.”
The position isn’t a pressing need for the 49ers with Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Staley and right tackle Trent Brown on the roster.
However, Staley will turn 34 before the season opener. And Brown is in the final year of his contract, is rehabbing from shoulder surgery and has been dogged by weight issues that have inspired questions about his commitment during his four-year career.
The selection of McGlinchey raises questions about Brown’s future with the team.
Unlike Staley, who recently was given a $6.4 million raise over the final two years of his contract (2018-19), Brown has not been given a contract extension. On Monday, general manager John Lynch said there was no “urgency” when asked about possibly adding years to his deal. On Thursday, Lynch was asked about the possibility of trading Brown.
“You never say never,” Lynch said, “but right now, we’re pleased to have great competition at that spot.”
It would be a major upset if McGlinchey isn’t the season-opening starter at right tackle.
Unlike Brown (6foot-8, 355 pounds), McGlinchey (6-8, 309) has prototypical size for Shanahan’s outside-zone running scheme, which emphasizes an offensive lineman’s movement skills. In his nine seasons as an offensive coordinator, Shanahan’s five primary right tackles had an average weight of 311 pounds.
McGlinchey was the second offensive lineman selected. He followed guard Quenton Nelson, his teammate at Notre Dame. And he’s the latest offensive player the 49ers have added to support quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who signed a then-record $137.5 million contract in February. The 49ers’ only major free-agent signings were offensive players, center Weston Richburg and running back Jerick McKinnon.
Given Reuben Foster’s legal issues, many observers expected the 49ers to select Georgia inside linebacker Roquan Smith, but he went to the Bears at No. 8, one spot
ahead of the 49ers. However, Lynch maintained “Mike was the guy,” even if Smith had been on the board.
“That’s just a premium position in this league,” Lynch said. “And there’s just not a lot of great ones out there. God didn’t create a bunch of great offensive tackles.”
Among the 60 prospects the 49ers interviewed at the combine, Lynch said McGlinchey and another player were the most impressive.
“He’s got a special presence to him,” Lynch said. “He’s real, he’s authentic and he’s a badass. And we like that.”